The award comes just a week after Ketron learned he is officially in remission from type B non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Ketron told The Daily News Journal.

“I am very humbled to receive this award from such an inspiring organization,” Ketron said.

The Disability Hero award honors public servants who champion causes to help Tennesseans with disabilities and their families. It is given out annually by Tennessee Disability Coalition, which is an alliance of organizations and individuals joined to promote the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of life.

“It is an honor to partner with this group to help improve the lives of those who live with disabilities and I salute all of those who work tirelessly toward that goal every day. They are the real heroes,” the Senate Republican Caucus chairman said.

He is going to use his new lease on life to work and advocate for other cancer survivors and patients, Ketron said.

The state senator said he met Tuesday with representatives from the National Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society and major health insurance companies to get more chemotherapy covered by insurance.

Ketron said the bill, which he intends to introduce to the General Assembly when the session starts Jan. 12, would require insurance companies to cover the cost of other forms of chemotherapy if they agree to pay for intravenous chemotherapy treatments.

Over the past year, Ketron has undergone many treatments, including “Correct Chemo” by Diatech Oncology, which takes a biopsy of the cancer and tests it against different types of therapies.

Ketron endured many hours of chemotherapy, which takes six to eight hours for one IV dose. He realized then that it would be easier for many patients to take a pill at home, he said.

“Of course they see it as a mandate …, it just makes sense,” Ketron said.

He said that is just one example of how he plans to use his standing in state government to advocate for cancer patients and for the elimination of cancer.

One of the treatment he underwent used stem cells from his own blood, washing them and putting them back “to start growing again in my bone marrow,” Ketron said previously.

The stem-cell treatment meant Ketron spent three weeks over the summer in Centennial Medical Center in Nashville having his stem cells transplanted into his bone marrow. A scan in September showed the treatment was successful.

“It’s been successful,” Ketron said in an interview Sept. 23 with The DNJ. ”Last Friday, I had a CT scan, which came in totally clear, so I’m very excited about that. A lot of prayers have been answered.”

He said the doctors told him 100 days after those scans that he was free and clear of the lymphoma.

“I felt like my feet just came up off the ground, I was so elated,” he said.

While there are many types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the National Cancer Institute, it is best described as a disease in which cancer cells form in the lymph system, which is part of the immune system. It can occur in both adults and children.

Reach Michelle Willard at 615-278-5164, on Twitter @MichWillard or Rutherford County Business News on Facebook.

Legislator of the Year

On Monday, state Sen. Bill Ketron will be presented with the Tennessee 811 "Legislator of the Year" award, according to a press release from the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts.

Ketron is being honored from his efforts to strengthen the existing state law with an amendment to the Tennessee Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act. The legislation will help better protect underground utilities in the state, the association said.